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Toronto has a great number of restaurants representing a large number of cuisines. To my disappointment, one cuisine that I find Toronto is lacking in is one of my favorites, Mexican cuisine. There just aren't all that many Mexican restaurants in Toronto so when I noticed a new one opening on my walk home from work I took note. The new restaurant was a Chipotles and it was billing itself as a 'gourmet' burrito joint. I was pretty curious to find out exactly what a 'gourmet' burrito was so I had to stop by. The Chipotles gourmet burrito turned out to be a pretty normal burrito with rice, beans, meat, salsa, sour cream and cheese (they charged extra for the guacamole). The burrito was pretty good but it was also pretty expensive and I figured that I could do better at home and for a lot less. Shortly after visiting Chipotles I came across a z-Teca which was also billing itself as a gourmet burrito joint and their advertising campaign seemed to revolve around the size of their burritos. I tried their burritos as well and they were really big and they were good, but, once again I felt that I could do better at home. Thus, the burrito quest started.

A burrito is a tortilla that is wrapped around a filling and with such a simple definition the possibilities are almost endless! The tortilla wrapping makes burritos nice and convenient and portable so you can grab one while on the run. Over the past few weeks I have been experimenting with and really enjoying various burritos and fillings. What follows is a list of what I have tried and ideas that I would like to try.

Meat Fillings

Carnitas: Slow braised moist and tender pork fried until slightly crispy on the outside.Salsa Verde Carnitas: Carnitas that were braised in salsa verde and then the salsa verde is mixed back in with he pork after frying it until it is crispy.Pork al Pastor Style: Pork marinated in a chili and pineapple sauce and then slow roasted until it is falling apart tender.Tinga: Pork stewed in a tomato and chipotle sauce.7 Chili Chili: Tender beef braised in a spicy chili sauce. (After reheating the pot of chili a few nights in a row, most of the liquid had evaporated and I used it in a burrito and it was really good.)Taco Seasoned Meat: Taco seasoned meats such as Texmex seasoned ground beef or Texmex seasoned shredded chicken.

Seafood Fillings

Crab: I have not tried this one yet but I imagine that using the crab from these crab quesadillas would make for a great burrito filling.Shimp: I also want to try using the shrimp from these shrimp quesadillas or these shrimp tacos in a burrito.Fish: The spicy texmex seasoned flaked fish from these fish tacos would also make a great burrito filling.

Other Fillings

Cilantro and Lime Rice: Rice is a pretty standard burrito filling and I like to liven it up a bit with some chopped cilantro, lime juice and zest. I also like to use brown rice rather that white rice whenever possible.

Refried beans: Beans are also a common burrito filling whether plain or seasoned with cumin, chili powder and oregano or even refried.

Onion and Cilantro Relish: A simple condiment of chopped sweet onions with a pungent kick along with some chopped cilantro for added freshness.

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comments:

I can't imagine not having a huge variety of hispanic restaurants near me. I grew up in Florida where there are at least 15 different Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, etc. restaurant within a mile radius of your house.

And those burritos look delicious, can't wait to try makin one myself.

Oh, Dude, if it is Chipotle as in the chain restaurant-that is my favorite. The three soft carnitas tacos with chips and guac, oh my belly is in heaven. Yep, they are more expensive then Taco Bell or Taco John's but so much better and everything is made fresh.

Of course, your photos look awesome, so you must have filled the Mexican hankering you had!

How thorough! What an amazing post! I have a burrito-loving boyfriend who actually ate lunch at Qdoba today (another "gourmet" burrito joint). Maybe one day I could make a burrito that looks as good as some of yours!

I hate to disagree with you Kevin, but Chipotle is pretty awesome and I don't know that I could make better. And here in the US, a burrito is $5.60 and gigantic enough for two meals. I think that's pretty cheap.

Although the calorie counts on those things are insane, so I'm interested in homemade. But I still stick up for Chipotle!

yes, and you know your burritos have way more stuff in them than any burrito joint. we are seriously lacking a good quality burrito joint around here as well. there is one place called B2 Burrito that is pretty good, but they keep raising their prices, so I'm with you on the whole make it at home.

I love burritos. In fact, it's my true cure-all. Whenever I feel like I'm getting a cold or flu, I eat a giant burrito with tons of salsa. And darned if it doesn't do the trick. The next day I am as good as new. I once wrote a story for my former newspaper about all of this, and even a nutritionist said I might have something here, since a burrito is full of protein and Vitamin C. ;)

I never realized they don't have Chipotles in Canada, but who needs them? They are overpriced and not very healthy - your burritos all look amazing! I love the idea of grilling them on the outside (I'm assuming on a grill pan) to get htem extra hot.

You'd think there'd be millions of great Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles, but most we've tried are dreadful. Surprisingly, the best one for burritos is a chain, Poquito Mas--I love their shrimp burritos, but you have to tell them to make it crispy. I absolutely love the idea of black bean and pumpkin...

I haven't tried Chipotle yet, but I've had Big Fat Burrito in Kensington (not bad!) and I've also had one at Mission in the mall across from OCAD, very delish! It took a few minutes to get used to the sort of sticky tortilla, but I loved how it kept it from getting overly messy. And the filling was very tasty, indeed.

There are more Mexican places opening in Toronto that probably need to be tried, although after a Christmas vacation on the Baja, it's hard to imagine anything as good as what I ate there.

That's one thing we aren't short of around here, Mexican restaurants, but there's only one of them worth eating at. All the rest are basically fast food joints, like the one you mentioned, even if they do want to pass themselves off as "gourmet."

Chipotle is all over the US and becoming a pretty popular stable around college towns. It started in Denver, CO. I've been to the original, which of course, tasted a little better than all the others. Did you know McDonald's used to own Chipolte? Who would have thought the burger maker would have any interest in burritos.

YUM.. you've officially given me a burrito craving. What a great way to use up the leftovers from your other Mexican recipes. I have tried Chipotles since it's across the street from where i work, and i found it tasty, but was disappointed they didn't grill the tortilla. My favourite burrito join in the tdot is still Burrito Boyz. You MUST try the halibut burrito. It's out of this world and they don't charge you extra for guacamole. There's ONE fairly authentic Mexican restaurant that I know of called Jalapeno at King and Tecumseth, where they make their own corn tortillas. HAven't been in a while, but last time i was there, it was good.

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Hello! I actually love Chipotle's salads, and you inspired me! I created my own version of their chicken salad, substituting kidney beans for black (even though I do love black beans, I had the kidney beans in my cabinet)...absolutely delicious!

I know I'm way behind, but I just found your blog! Your burritos look yummy (gonna try the black bean/pumpkin this weekend).

I adore Chipotle, and did even before I worked there. I worked grill, prep, and a little bit on the line. One of the things I love about it is that almost every bit of the food is made there, and they use local and/or organic foods whenever possible (like beans, cilantro and other produce, and even meats sometimes). Oh, and it's super-delicious--the free employee meal was my favorite part of the job!

BTW, they no longer have anything to do with McDonald's, which was merely an investor, not an owner.

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.